Three-dimensional checker or chess game board



Sept. 15, 1953 c. D. RUTZ THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHECKER OR CHESS GAME BOARD Filed Sept. 1. 1950 INVENTOR. Qrmua-D. Par-z BY Patented Sept. 15, 1953 THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHEOKER OR CHESS I GAME BOARD Charles D. Rutz, San Diego, Calif. Application September 1, 1950, Serial No. 182,782

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to games, and more particularly to a game board for use in a threedimensional checker or chess game.

An object of this invention is to provide a knock-down game board including a plurality of superimposed playing surfaces which can be quickly assembled for play on the respective surfaces and disassembled for storage.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game board having a plurality of superimposed playing surfaces which can be simultaneously viewed by a checker or chess player.

A further object of this invention is to provide a game board for use in a three-dimensional checker or chess game which is relatively simple in structure and cheap to manufacture.

The above and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and in section, of the game board of the present invention for use in a threedimensional checker or chess game;

Figure 2 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of the game board shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the playing surfaces of the game board provided with numerical indicia for indicating the disposition of the play pieces used in a game of checkers.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the several views to designate like parts, there is shown the game board of the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral I0, which embodies a base II having its under face adapted to rest upon a horizontal supporting surface, and having its upper face I2 provided with a square playing surface I3.

Disposed contiguous to one side of the base II is a first pair of spaced, upstanding supports I4 and I5 which have their lower ends received in bores It and Il provided in the base II. Each of the supports I4 and I5 is bent inwardly at spaced intervals along its length to form a plurality of crimps each of which is of a U shape, each crimp lying in a vertical plane and having arms extended horizontally and spaced vertically of one another. Said crimps are designated by the reference numerals I8 and I9. The crimps I8 of the support I 4 are disposed in back-to-back relation with respect to the crimps I9 of the support I5, the upper arms of the crimps defining supporting ledges.

Positioned contiguous to an opposite side of the base II is a second pair of spaced, upstanding supports 20 and 2| which have their lower ends embracingly received and supported within holes provided in the base I I. Each of the supports 20 and 2| of the second pair is: bent inwardly at spaced intervals along its length to form a plurality of U -shaped crimps 22 and 23. The crimps 22 and 23 of the supports 2|] and 2| are similarly disposed in back-to-back relation with respect to each other. It is to be further noted that each of the ledges of the crimps I8 and I9 and 22 and 23. provided at the spaced intervals along the supports I4, I5, 20 and 2|, are disposed in coplanar relation with respect to each other.

disposed in overlying, aligned relation with respect to each other, and with respect to the playing surface I3 of the base II.

Each of the tiers 24 to 30, inclusive, is provided with notches which extend inwardly from its side edges, as generally designated by the reference numeral 3|, for the extension therethrough of the adjacent portion of the supports I4, l5 and 20, 2|. Extending between the back-to-back crimps I8 and I9 of the first pair of supports I4 and I5 are the endless, elastic elements generally designated by the reference numeral 32. As clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4, the endless elastic elements are circumposed about the bights of the respective U-shaped crimps, and urge the adjacent support into engagement with the bounding walls of the notches 3| in the tiers 24 to 30, inclusive. Similarly, endless elastic elements 33 are extended between the face-to-face crimps .22 and 23 of the supports 28 and 2| for urging the supports into engagement with the adjacent edges of the tiers.

From the foregoing, it is readily apparent that the game board can be quickly assembled for play thereon and dismantled for storage. In effecting the assembly of the game board, it is merely necessary to insert the supports I 4 and I5 and 2t) and 2| into the supporting holes of the base II. The elastic elements 32 and 33 are then engaged with the crimps and the tiers 24 to 30, inclusive, supported on the ledges.

As clearly shown in Figure 2, the base II is provided with a centrally disposed aperture 34, and the tiers 24 to 30, inclusive, are each provided with a centrally disposed aperture, generally designated by the reference numeral 35, the apertures 35 of the tiers being disposed in aligned relation with respect to the aperture 34 of the base. Extending longitudinally through al A 3 the tiers 24 to 30, inclusive, and supported within the aperture 34 of the base is an auxiliary supporting rod 36 which provides lateral stability to the assembly of the tiers and the base.

The structural arrangement described permits the checker or chess player either the game of chess or checkers in a vertical direction in addition to the usual movement in the horizontal plane of the respective tiers 24 to 30, inclusive. Accordingly, the player can visualize movements, tactics and strategy in three dimensions.

When utilizing the game board for use with a three-dimensional checker game, a total of thirtysix play pieces may be used on each side if all eight playing surfaces are used. In Figure 5, there is shown one of the playing surfaces provided with numerical indicia for indicating the starting lineup for the playpieces at the beginning of the game. For the purposes of identification, the square playing surfaces of the base II and the tiers 24 to 30, inclusive, will be consecutively designated by the letters A to H, inclusive.

To start the game of checkers, one side disposes its play pieces on the levels A, B and C overlying the numbers 1 to 12, inclusive. The other side disposes its play pieces on the levels A, B and C overlying the numerals 21 to 32, inelusive. To execute the vertical movement of one of the play pieces from the level A to the level B, the player manually grasps a particular play piece, lifts it from the level A and places it upon the level B. An example of the upward movement would be taking the play piece overlying the numeral 9 on the A level and replacing it on the B level overlying the numeral 14 or 13.

The horizontal movement at any level would be the same as in two-dimensional checkers, for example, moving the play piece from the A level in a position overlying the numeral 9 to a position overlying the numerals 13 or 14.

To jump one of the opponents men, the procedure followed is the same as used in two-dimensional checkers when remaining on any particular level. A similar procedure is followed when jumping from one level to another. For example, assume that one side has a play piece overlying the numeral 11 on the 13 level, and the other side has a play piece overlying the numeral 15 on the C level, with no play piece overlying numeral 18 on the D level. The play piece overlying the numeral 11 on the B level can be jumped over the opponents play piece overlying the numeral 15 on the C level to occupy the empty space 18 on the D level. lowed in a game of two-dimensional checkers are followed; for example, the men can only be moved in one direction until the opposite side of the board is reached. Upon a play piece reaching the opposite side of the board, it becomes a king, and is endowed with the power of any ordinary play piece plus the extraordinary power of moving in any direction in the aforementioned prescribed manner. The ultimate objective of the game is to eliminate the opponents play pieces, and the winner is the player who has men remaining on the various levels A to H, inclusive.

In the game of chess, the principles set forth in conjunction with the play of the game of checkers are followed in effecting the movement of the play pieces from level to level. However, the play of the game is further complicated by the apertures of the and the center openings of the tiers being aligned to move play pieces in g 4 the particular movements which are assigned to that play piece.

Although only one embodiment of the game board of the present inventionhas been described, it is readily apparent that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

The other rules usually fol- What I claim is:

In a knock-down game board construction of the tiered type, a flat, square base having openings formed in its upper surface at the several corners thereof and having a center opening equidistant from the several corner openings; a first pair of vertical, spaced supports formed of rod material and having their lower ends removably engaged in the corner openings of one side of the base; a second pair of vertical, spaced supports formed of rod material and havin their lower ends removably engaged in the corner openings of the opposite side of the base, each support of a pair being bent at spaced intervals along its length in the direction of the opposite support of the same pair to form a plurality of vertically spaced, U-shaped crimps therein with the crimps of each support being back-to-back with the crimps of the other support of the same pair, each crimp lying in a vertical plane and having vertically spaced, horizontally extended arms the upper one of which defines a supporting ledge; endless elastic elements each removably engaged with and tensioned between the bights of the back-to-back crimps of the supports of a pair, said elements urging each support laterally in the direction of the other support of the same pair; a plurality of vertically spaced, square tiers p0- sitioned upon the supporting ledges in horizontal planes above the base and respectively formed at their corners with notches opening inwardly from parallel opposite sides thereof and proportioned for removable engagement with the several supports, the inner ends of each of said notches having side walls, the several notches engaging the supports to prevent said lateral movement of the supports of a pair toward each other, the side walls of the notches preventing lateral movement of one support of each pair toward and away from the adjacent support of the other pair, each of said tiers having a center openingequidistant from its several notches vertically with one another and with the center opening of the base; and a vertical supporting rod removably engaged at its lower end in the center opening of the base and removably extended through the several center openings of the tiers to stabilize the assembled tiers and base against lateral deviation.

CHARLES D. RUTZ.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Beatty, Total Chess, 3d ed., March 1946. 

